A new octocoral genus (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) from Antarctic waters

7 pages, 7figures Sphaeralcyon weddellensis gen. nov. et sp. nov. is described and illustrated from three colonies collected in the eastern Weddell Sea on the Polarstern cruises ANT V/3 and ANT VI/3. The new genus is compared with three closely related alcyoniid genera, all having capitate or mushro...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Biology
Main Authors: López-González, Pablo J., Gili, Josep Maria
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: Springer 2000
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/275489
https://doi.org/10.1007/s003009900105
Description
Summary:7 pages, 7figures Sphaeralcyon weddellensis gen. nov. et sp. nov. is described and illustrated from three colonies collected in the eastern Weddell Sea on the Polarstern cruises ANT V/3 and ANT VI/3. The new genus is compared with three closely related alcyoniid genera, all having capitate or mushroom-shaped colonies and dimorphic polyps. Sphaeralcyon is readily distinguishable from Malacacanthus by the presence of sclerites (absent in the latter genus), and from Anthomastus by sclerite shape, mainly in the form of tuberculate spheroids, and by the horny periderm on the stalk (absent in Anthomastus). Sphaeralcyon also differs from Verseveldtia in the set of sclerites, which are elongate spiny rods and a different type of tuberculate spheroid, and in the presence of eight-points as anthocodial armature (absent in Verseveldtia). The discovery of this new genus lends further support to the notion that diversity in benthic communities in Antarctica is higher than suggested by previous studies